Glen Burnie contractor accused of stealing top secret government material

Glen Burnie contractor accused of stealing top secret government material

Harold Martin, 51, could face up to 11 years in federal prison

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Updated: 1:44 AM EDT Oct 5, 2016

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WEBVTT THE FBI SAYS IT FOUND HIGHLY-CLASSIFIED U.S. GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS. IN TWO STORAGE SHEDS, COMPUTERS AND A CAR AT HAROLD MARTIN'S GLEN BURNIE HOME. COURT RECORDS SHOW THE DOCUMENTS WERE BOTH IN HARD COPY AND DIGITAL FORM. THE 51-YEAR-OLD WAS A CONTRACTOR WITH THE NSA HE'S BEEN CHARGED WITH THEFT OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY AND UNAUTHORIZED REMOVAL AND RETENTION OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS. HE'S BEEN DETAINED SINCE THE RAID THIS SUMMER >> THERE WAS A BIG BANG THERE. THEY CAME AND HAD ALL THEIR GEAR ON. THEY WERE FULLY LOADED FOR WHATEVER THEY CAME ACROSS. GEORGE HIS WIFE REQUESTED : PRIVACY SHORTLY AFTER THE CASE WAS UNSEALED IN FEDERAL COURT TODAY. >> HE'S A GOOD MAN. THAT'S ALL I CAN REALLY TELL YOU. GEORGE MARTIN HAS A TOP SECRET : SECURITY CLEARANCE AND WORKED FOR BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON. THAT'S EDWARD SNOWDEN'S FORMER EMPLOYER. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SAYS THE DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY FOUND AT MARTIN'S HOME WERE PRODUCED TWO YEARS AGO AND IF LEAKED COULD CAUSE GRAVE DAMAGE TO NATIONAL SECURITY. AND SIX OF THOSE DOCUMENTS WERE OBTAINED FROM SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE THEIR DISCLOSURE, OFFICIALS SAY, WOULD REVEAL SOURCES AND METHODS. NEIGHBORS WE SPOKE TO SAY MARTIN DIDN'T SEEM LIKE A MAN NOW FACING UP TO 11 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON IF CONVICTE >> SAY HI, HOW YOU DOING, KEEP ON GETTING. GEORGE IN A STATEMENT, MARTIN'S : ATTORNEYS SAY, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HAL MARTIN INTENDED TO BETRAY HIS COUNTRY. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT HAL MARTIN LOVES HIS FAMILY AND HIS COUNTRY. HE SERVED OUR NATION HONORABLY IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY, AND HE HAS DEVOTED HIS ENTIRE CAREER TO SERVING AND PROTECTING AMERICA. THE UNSEALED COMPLAINT SHOWS MARTIN,AT FIRST, DENIED THE WHOLE THING. BUT WHEN CONFRONTED WITH SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS, HE ADMITTED TAKING FILES HOME AND KNEW HE DIDN'T HAVE AUTHORIZATION TO DO SO. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM GEORGE

A federal government contractor from Glen Burnie is accused of removing top-secret materials and storing them at his home in his vehicle, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, is charged with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials by a government employee or contractor.A woman who answered the door of Martin's house asked for privacy.Debbie Martin Martin's wife told 11 News: "I love him and stand by him. We have to figure out what the heck is going on.""He's a good man, and that's all I can really tell you," Debbie Martin continued.Neighbors spoke about seeing an FBI raid."There was a big bang there and they came here and they had all their gear on and they were fully loaded for whatever they came across. Guns? Yeah. Everything," neighbor Glen Bond said.According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Martin was a federal government contractor with top-secret national security clearance when he was arrested on Aug. 27. The complaint was filed on Aug. 29, 2016, and unsealed Wednesday.The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a search of Martin’s residence and vehicle uncovered hard-copy documents and digital information stored on various devices and removable digital media. The complaint alleges that among the materials found in the search were six classified documents obtained from sensitive intelligence and produced by a government agency in 2014.Prosecutors said the documents were obtained through sensitive government sources, methods and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues. The disclosure of the documents would reveal sources, methods and capabilities, authorities said.A defense attorney representing Martin released a statement, saying, "There is no evidence that Hal Martin intended to betray his country. What we do know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. He served our nation honorably in the United States Navy, and he has devoted his entire career to serving and protecting America."According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, unauthorized disclosure of material could cause exceptionally grave damage to U.S. national security.Martin's employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, released a statement, saying, "When Booz Allen learned of the arrest of one of its employees by the FBI, we immediately reached out to the authorities to offer our total cooperation in their investigation, and we fired the employee. We continue to cooperate fully with the government on its investigation into this serious matter. There have been no material changes to our client engagements as a result of this matter. Booz Allen is a 102-year-old company, and the alleged conduct does not reflect our core values. Thousands of our employees support critical client missions with dedication and excellence each day. Their professionalism, values and ethics are what define our firm."If convicted, Martin faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison for the unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and 10 years in prison for theft of government property.Get the WBAL-TV News App

GLEN BURNIE, Md. —

A federal government contractor from Glen Burnie is accused of removing top-secret materials and storing them at his home in his vehicle, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, is charged with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials by a government employee or contractor.

Debbie Martin Martin's wife told 11 News: "I love him and stand by him. We have to figure out what the heck is going on."

"He's a good man, and that's all I can really tell you," Debbie Martin continued.

Neighbors spoke about seeing an FBI raid.

"There was a big bang there and they came here and they had all their gear on and they were fully loaded for whatever they came across. Guns? Yeah. Everything," neighbor Glen Bond said.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Martin was a federal government contractor with top-secret national security clearance when he was arrested on Aug. 27. The complaint was filed on Aug. 29, 2016, and unsealed Wednesday.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said a search of Martin’s residence and vehicle uncovered hard-copy documents and digital information stored on various devices and removable digital media. The complaint alleges that among the materials found in the search were six classified documents obtained from sensitive intelligence and produced by a government agency in 2014.

Prosecutors said the documents were obtained through sensitive government sources, methods and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues. The disclosure of the documents would reveal sources, methods and capabilities, authorities said.

A defense attorney representing Martin released a statement, saying, "There is no evidence that Hal Martin intended to betray his country. What we do know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. He served our nation honorably in the United States Navy, and he has devoted his entire career to serving and protecting America."

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, unauthorized disclosure of material could cause exceptionally grave damage to U.S. national security.

Martin's employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, released a statement, saying, "When Booz Allen learned of the arrest of one of its employees by the FBI, we immediately reached out to the authorities to offer our total cooperation in their investigation, and we fired the employee. We continue to cooperate fully with the government on its investigation into this serious matter. There have been no material changes to our client engagements as a result of this matter. Booz Allen is a 102-year-old company, and the alleged conduct does not reflect our core values. Thousands of our employees support critical client missions with dedication and excellence each day. Their professionalism, values and ethics are what define our firm."

If convicted, Martin faces a maximum sentence of a year in prison for the unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials, and 10 years in prison for theft of government property.